St Stephen's Church, erected in 1873 on a site used as a defensive redoubt by settlers during the New Zealand Wars, has stood as a symbol of peace and of the Anglican faith for over 130 years.
In 1865 during the New Zealand Wars, the Ngati Ruanui military leader Riwha Titokowaru (? - 1888) began advancing on colonial forces from Wanganui towards Foxton. Under the leadership of Major John Marshall, the settlers in the Rangitikei district mobilised. In 1863 a militia was established to protect the settlers from Titokowaru's advance. By November 1868, the threat of attack reached crisis point and a chain of ten redoubts were erected. To ensure maximum safety, redoubts were constructed close to settler residences. Number Seven or 'Matthew's Redoubt', was erected for £13.10.0 on a key defensive position on the property of farmer Richard Hammond. The redoubt was never used. Titokowaru's campaign came to an abrupt and mysterious halt in 1869, and the government ordered that all timber and iron used on the construction of the blockhouses should be sold. Matthew's Redoubt was immediately dismantled.
On 2 May 1871, three years after Rangitikei's first Anglican clergyman Arthur Towgood had been appointed, Richard Hammond sold the land on which the redoubt had stood for £1 to the Bishop of Wellington. Three trustees were appointed to ensure that the area's first Anglican church was erected on the site. They were Hammond, Marshall, and the Reverend Basil Taylor. The Reverend Towgood commissioned Wanganui based architect George Frederic Allen (1837-1929) to design the new church, and in October that same year the newly appointed Bishop Octavius Hadfield laid the foundation stone for the building.
Allen was said to have drawn inspiration for his original plans of the church from the Salisbury Cathedral, a medieval Cathedral completed in 1258 in the English Gothic style. Yet it is more likely that he drew inspiration from his design for 'Oneida', a large rural homestead in Wanganui, whose owners had been influenced during their travels by North American architecture. Like Oneida, St Stephen's is Carpenter Gothic in style and features the same strong vertical lines created by the use of board and battens on both buildings. Built almost entirely from native timbers, St Stephen's was designed along traditional, cruciform lines, with the altar at the east end, two transepts and a nave, and the baptistery at the west end. Due to a shortage of funds the vestry was located under the east end of the church. The interior was designed to seat up to 200, and features elegant timber archways in the nave and at the entrance of the two transepts. Built by contractors Edward Humphreys and William and Henry Snellgrove, the hill on which the church was constructed made it visible from the main street. It was completed over a two-year period and was officially consecrated and opened on St Stephen's Day in 1873.
The church has undergone little modification since its construction. The main alteration occurred when the church was extended on the south side to accommodate the students from Huntley School, which opened in 1896 and gained its own chapel in 1908. This alteration provided one extra aisle of seating, but modified the cruciform plan of the building.
St Stephen's has served as a centre of the Anglican community in Marton since 1873 and this role is physically reflected in the church building and grounds. St Stephen's was furnished and decorated over the years through the generosity of its parishioners. The many gifts included the pulpit, altar and the church bell, which was donated by Mr. W. J. Birch, and hung in a separate belfry tower near the entrance of the building. Memorials in both brass and glass, such as the plate commemorating the architect and his wife, also line the church walls. Following the Second World War, church members who had died in the conflict were commemorated in a memorial pathway and garden, which allowed access to the church from the town's main street. The garden features almost 200 native shrubs and was designed to foster a sense of peace.
In 1997 the church parish was amalgamated with those of Bulls and Hunterville to form one Rangitikei Parish. It continues in use as a parish church and stands as a testimony to the strength of the Anglican faith in the region.
In 1865 during the New Zealand Wars, the Ngati Ruanui military leader Riwha Titokowaru (? - 1888) began advancing on colonial forces from Wanganui towards Foxton. Under the leadership of Major John Marshall, the settlers in the Rangitikei district mobilised. In 1863 a militia was established to protect the settlers from Titokowaru's advance. By November 1868, the threat of attack reached crisis point and a chain of ten redoubts were erected. To ensure maximum safety, redoubts were constructed close to settler residences. Number Seven or 'Matthew's Redoubt', was erected for £13.10.0 on a key defensive position on the property of farmer Richard Hammond. The redoubt was never used. Titokowaru's campaign came to an abrupt and mysterious halt in 1869, and the government ordered that all timber and iron used on the construction of the blockhouses should be sold. Matthew's Redoubt was immediately dismantled.
On 2 May 1871, three years after Rangitikei's first Anglican clergyman Arthur Towgood had been appointed, Richard Hammond sold the land on which the redoubt had stood for £1 to the Bishop of Wellington. Three trustees were appointed to ensure that the area's first Anglican church was erected on the site. They were Hammond, Marshall, and the Reverend Basil Taylor. The Reverend Towgood commissioned Wanganui based architect George Frederic Allen (1837-1929) to design the new church, and in October that same year the newly appointed Bishop Octavius Hadfield laid the foundation stone for the building.
Allen was said to have drawn inspiration for his original plans of the church from the Salisbury Cathedral, a medieval Cathedral completed in 1258 in the English Gothic style. Yet it is more likely that he drew inspiration from his design for 'Oneida', a large rural homestead in Wanganui, whose owners had been influenced during their travels by North American architecture. Like Oneida, St Stephen's is Carpenter Gothic in style and features the same strong vertical lines created by the use of board and battens on both buildings. Built almost entirely from native timbers, St Stephen's was designed along traditional, cruciform lines, with the altar at the east end, two transepts and a nave, and the baptistery at the west end. Due to a shortage of funds the vestry was located under the east end of the church. The interior was designed to seat up to 200, and features elegant timber archways in the nave and at the entrance of the two transepts. Built by contractors Edward Humphreys and William and Henry Snellgrove, the hill on which the church was constructed made it visible from the main street. It was completed over a two-year period and was officially consecrated and opened on St Stephen's Day in 1873.
The church has undergone little modification since its construction. The main alteration occurred when the church was extended on the south side to accommodate the students from Huntley School, which opened in 1896 and gained its own chapel in 1908. This alteration provided one extra aisle of seating, but modified the cruciform plan of the building.
St Stephen's has served as a centre of the Anglican community in Marton since 1873 and this role is physically reflected in the church building and grounds. St Stephen's was furnished and decorated over the years through the generosity of its parishioners. The many gifts included the pulpit, altar and the church bell, which was donated by Mr. W. J. Birch, and hung in a separate belfry tower near the entrance of the building. Memorials in both brass and glass, such as the plate commemorating the architect and his wife, also line the church walls. Following the Second World War, church members who had died in the conflict were commemorated in a memorial pathway and garden, which allowed access to the church from the town's main street. The garden features almost 200 native shrubs and was designed to foster a sense of peace.
In 1997 the church parish was amalgamated with those of Bulls and Hunterville to form one Rangitikei Parish. It continues in use as a parish church and stands as a testimony to the strength of the Anglican faith in the region.
